Partners for Life
by Shattered-Rayn
Summary: In which the Turks get a rare day off, Elena has a few upsets, and Reno and Rude discover that the phrase 'partners for life' can have a few different meanings in the face of tragedy. Slight Rude OOCness and rated M for language. Slight shonenai.


All right. I swore that I would never do something like this, yet...here it is. There's no real way to explain this since it's somewhat all over the place. It starts out funny..ish and turns to straight-out drama. But then again, tradgedy always makes true colors run clearer, doesn't it? In this case, maybe that's not such a bad thing. Rude is a little OOC, but again, you have to figure in the whole tragedy deal. Not many people can keep their cool when something like that happens. But anyways, hope you enjoy this little fic and please review. I'm not very good working with these two, so I'd like to know how I'm doing.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Turks or Rufus. Just borrowin' them from the very gracious owners, Square Enix.

**Partners for Life**

"Ruuuuude!"

The Turk looked up from his newspaper, glaring at the green eyes peeking over the obituaries. _Almost seems fitting_, he thought smugly. His tactic didn't seem to be working though. Those green eyes just kept staring back. "What?" he growled. It was far too early to be on a friendly basis with anyone, according to him. Besides, he hadn't had his coffee yet.

He lowered the newspaper to the table, watching as the redhead across from him laid his head on the hardwood surface. He was almost pouting. _God, he looks like a lost puppy. Dog pound, anyone?_ "What?" he growled again as he shook the paper. Five minutes. Five minutes and he'd have his coffee. _Then_ Reno could complain about whatever. Now, he just wanted to be left alone.

The redhead sighed and aimed his green eyes at him. "I'm hungry," he whined.

"You're hungry." Rude repeated the words slowly, narrowing his eyes at his partner. Reno nodded. "You know where the kitchen is. Don't ask me, I'm not your personal servant."

Reno raised his head and glanced around. "We're _in_ the kitchen."

"Precisely."

Shrugging, the redheaded Turk brushed hack his bangs. "Point?"

_Uh, why does he have to be so _annoying_ sometimes?_ A timer chimed twice and Rude jumped, pushing his chair away from the table. Reno's answer could wait. Right now a fresh cup load of caffeine and sugar was calling his name.

"Wha—hey! Wait!" Reno shoved back, freeing himself from the table to follow the other man. "Didn't you hear me?" Blindly reaching above his head, he pulled down a mug. "Share?" he asked, holding the cup out to Rude.

Sighing, the Turk filled Reno's cup before turning on his own. "Yeah, I heard you fine." He downed half of the cup in one gulp, grimacing at the bitterness. One without sugar, one with an overload: the perfect combination to wake up anyone. He finished off the cup in another swallow. "My point," he said as he shook his head against the caffeine rush, "is that you've been living with me for how long? Five weeks? Shouldn't you be able to feed yourself by now?"

"Yeah, but you cook a killer breakfast. Come on Rude. An omelet beats toast any day, yo." He reached inside the pocket of his crumpled jeans and pulled out a tiny silver bottle. Carefully measuring out three capfuls of amber liquid into his coffee, the redhead threw back his head, drinking the cup in one draught. He took a deep breath of air and smiled, raising the cup slightly. "Best wake-up call ever invented. Still don't know why you won't even try it."

Rude sighed and rubbed his smooth head. "Because I don't feel the need to get drunk before noon." Pouring a generous heap of sugar into his second cup, he sipped the coffee slowly. The redhead just shrugged and returned to the table.

It had been five weeks since Reno had lost his apartment, reasons such as coming in late at night completely drunk and harassing the other tenants high on the list. And since Rude was his partner and friend, he had held out the offer of Reno living with him. Now he was beginning to regret it. Not only was Reno loud, careless, and aggravating, things Rude had always noticed, but now he was _constantly there_. He had virtually no escape from the redhead now. His only hope was work and, lo and behold, they had a rare day off today.

Reno reached over and snatched the abandoned newspaper. "So what do you wanna do today, yo?" He flipped through the newspaper, landing on the 'local activities' page. "Looks like there's gonna be some sort of winter festival over in Kalm. Wanna go? Might be interesting."

_Hanging out with Reno at a festival?_ Rude almost declined when he thought of the alternative: staying at home and listening to the Turk whine about his boredom. "Sure." He finished off his coffee, rinsing out the cup.

The redhead watched Rude disappear down the hallway and heard him close his bedroom door. Reno really appreciated that his partner had extended a helping hand, but he was beginning to see things in Rude's personality that just, well, that just _bugged_ him. Like his tendency to _always_ close his door. What was the big point about doing that?

Yawning, he stood and made his way to the guest bedroom, also known as his. Dragging off his tee, he pulled on a button-up long sleeved shirt, making sure the cuffs were rolled halfway up his wrists. He left the top button open, checking his image in the mirror. _Perfect. No woman can resist this_. Smiling, he brushed a hand through his cherry red hair, attaining that all-important 'just woke up' look. The jeans he left, slipping on a pair of comfortable tennis shoes. Another glance in the mirror and he grinned. "The master of casual has stuck again." A few more bottles were slipped into his left jeans pocket, his wallet in his right.

As he passed Rude's door, he knocked lightly. "Hey Rude. You ready yet?" The door opened and Reno almost bit his tongue. "Okay. What the hell is that, yo?" He motioned toward Rude's official suit. "It's called going casual. Never heard of it before? Geez man, we're not going to work!"

Rude gasped as Reno drug him back in his room. "Of course I do!" He managed to pry the other man's hand off of his arm. "Hey! What're you doing?" Reno had started searching through Rude's closet, shuffling through the hanging clothes.

_God, does this man _live_ on suits of something? Ah! Here we go..._Hepulled a few hangers loose and face his partner. "Just the thing."

Outside, a blonde woman reached out to ring the doorbell when she heard a shout from inside the house. Checking back toward the car she had just left, she made sure her boss wasn't paying attention. The black haired man was concentrating heavily on the papers in his hands. Slowly, she crept around the side of the house, stopping just below the bedroom window.

"Reno, what are you up to? Ah! Your hands are freezing!"

"Well, it's your own fault for not getting undressed fast enough, yo."

Elena crouched further down, stuffing her fist to her mouth. Was she really hearing this? She always knew those two had been a little on the strange side, but—

"Ow! Reno, dammit, watch what you're doing!"

"Aw, come on. This does _not_ hurt. Now, put your arm here—no! Here, dammit!"

"Yeah, well, maybe it doesn't hurt you, but are you in my position right now? Hey! Sorry, but my body doesn't bend that way!"

Almost unable to contain her laughter, Elena managed to make it back to the front of the house before giggling. _Oh Tseng is _so_ hearing about this. An illicit romance between partners? This is too good!_ She walked back to the car, smiling as she slid into the passenger seat.

"Well? Tseng's eyes never left the papers he was holding. "They coming or not?"

Elena laughed then covered her mouth with a hand. "Ah, no. They said they were…busy." She suddenly realized that the little turn of events she'd just heard could help her. "Guess we'll just have to go to the festival alone, huh Senpai?"

"Okay, I'm done!" Reno stood back and admired his handiwork. "Not bad." He heard Rude groan as he looked in the mirror.

Instead of his usual calm and collected self, Rude saw a man in blue jeans, a black sleeveless tee and a light cream overshirt staring back. The getup might have looked fine on Reno, but on him? It was practically screaming 'tourist'. Glaring at the beaming redhead, he narrowed his eyes. "I really hate you sometimes."

"Yeah, yeah, save the grats for later, yo." He dug around in the discarded suit jacket and tossed Rude his keys and wallet.

"I could have dressed myself, you know," Rude grumbled as he slipped on his black sunglasses and pushed past Reno. He headed toward the front door.

Reno was close behind, laughing. "Yeah, that's coming from the guy who doesn't know what a day off means. You _are_ allowed to relax occasionally." He locked the door before letting it close and settling himself in the passenger seat of Rude's convertible.

At one time he had wondered where Rude had struck it rich enough to have this nice two-bedroom house on the outskirts of Midgar, plus a convertible to boot, while Reno had to fight to pay his rent on time and was stuck riding the train everywhere. But he never questioned it, especially now that it was part of his lifestyle also. There was no reason to doubt fate, now was there?

Shaking his head at the green eyed man, Rude slid into the driver's seat and turned the key, slamming his door shut. The engine roared to life then settled into a soft purr as he pushed it into gear, pulling out of the driveway.

About an hour later, they came to an intersection. Rude slammed on the breaks and Reno went flying forward, the seatbelt jarring his body. "Hey! What's the big idea, yo?" Sitting back up, he stared at the bald Turk. "Are you trying to kill me here?" Watching the man pull out a folded paper, he huffed. _Ignoring me, huh? Well, I can do that too._ He turned away, listening to the paper rustling in Rude's hands. Finally curiosity got the better of him and he whirled around, glaring at his partner intently. "So, what are we doing just stopped in the middle of the road, yo? You planning on answering me here?"

"Shit." Rude shuffled the paper again, turning it slightly. "Shut up Reno. I'm trying to figure this out." He pointed forward at the reason they had stopped. Reno turned his green eyes on the collapsed bridge in front of them.

Gaping at the rushing water, he opened his door and started forward. The bank crumbled as he approached, icy mud falling into the river. "Damn. Now what do we do?" He glanced back at his partner and pointed toward the river. "I think we're gonna have to find another way!" he shouted back.

Rude growled at the other man and traced out a path with a finger. "No shit! Maybe that's why I'm looking for another route." He finally decided on the best path and pushed the map into Reno's hands as the redhead clambered back into the car. "Think you can follow that?" He poked at a dark line signifying the back road they would take.

"Uh, sure." He kept staring at the map, trying to figure out exactly where they would end up. "So, you sure this goes to Kalm? I mean, just looks like it goes to the middle of nowhere, yo."

Rude drew in a breath, trying to suppress the urge to strangle the redhead. "Yes," he said, forcing himself to calm down, "it goes to Kalm. Now will you _please_ let me do the driving and you stick to directions?" Turning the car around, he headed back about twenty feet before taking a left-hand turn onto a gravel road.

They had just passed their third intersection when Reno cried out. "Hey, we were supposed to turn there!" He waved the map, pointing back toward the missed road.

_Okay. He's just a little off today, that's all. He didn't make you miss the turn on purpose._ Rude kept chanting the sentences through his head as he forced the car into a u-turn and headed back toward the missed road. "Dammit Reno, next time tell me _ahead_ of time, okay?" He let out an exasperated sigh as he saw the darkness in the trees ahead. Switching on his headlights, he glanced over to the suddenly quiet Reno. "Hey, sorry I got mad. I'm just a little frustrated, that's all. You don't have to get all depressed."

"I'm not. I just thought I saw something outside." He leaned his head out of his open window, yelping as something wet hit his cheek. "What the—it's snowing, yo!" He held out a hand, frowning as the fat flakes smacked his palm. "Damn. Think they'll cancel the festival? Hey Rude—huh! What the—Rude!" The car jerked suddenly, skidding wildly on the gravel road. "Rude, what the hell's going on!" He grasped the seat tightly, staring straight ahead as the car kept sliding.

"Fuck! We hit ice!" Rude's face contorted as he wrenched the wheel around, trying to regain control. "I—I can't get it to stop!" The tires squealed as he pumped the brakes, desperate to get them out of the whirling tailspin the car had been sent into. A flash of headlights on a shimmering surface made him push the brakes to the floor and reach out, holding Reno back against the seat. "Shit! Hang on Reno! We're gonna crash!"

"What!" Reno shouted as he pushed against the dashboard. The outside was spinning madly and he couldn't catch a glimpse of anything. Then he felt the car impact.

Glass shattered, flying through the air as Reno screamed, covering his face with his arms. The wrenching sound of metal tore at his ears and he was thrown forward, the seatbelt ripping as his full weight was forced against it. The last image he saw was the shimmering glass shards of the windshield as he smashed through it.

-------------------

Rude groaned as he raised his head slowly, a headache reverberating through his skull. Glass tinkled, falling as he moved ever so slightly. _What happened?_ He tried to remember, holding a hand to his pounding head. When he pulled it away, sticky red liquid covered his fingertips. _Wha—blood? That's right. There was ice and—and the car crashed. And Reno, he…Reno!_ "Nng, ow!" He gasped at the pain flaring through his side as he whirled around. The passenger side was empty. "Reno?" His voice was weak, half from the pain, half from fear. "Reno!" The yell echoed through the car and the neighboring forest.

Cautiously, he pushed against his door and found it opened quite easily. The seatbelt was another matter. After spending three anxious minutes, he finally got loose and fell out of the car, breathing in the cold winter air. The ground was damp, snow beginning to cover everything lightly. He himself wasn't injured much, just a scratch along his temple and a pulled muscle in his abdomen. But Reno…who knew what kind of injuries he'd sustained. _Shit. I've got to find him. But where…_

A moan sounded far off and Rude's head perked up. There. The flickering headlight shone straight forward, reflecting off of the newly fallen snow and there, on the edge of the patch of light, lay a pale hand, the fingertips barely moving. Gasping, Rude forced himself to his feet, struggling to keep his balance. "Reno! Shit, Reno, hang on! I'm com—I'm coming!" he faltered slightly, falling to one knee. "Just…just hang in there, okay?"

The light flickered again and Rude dropped to his knees beside the hand, touching it lightly. Still warm, but a chill was staring to creep into the pale skin. He tugged at the arm experimentally, finding he was unable to move Reno with that method. Crawling closer to Reno's torso, he slipped, the ground under him crumbling and plunging his hand into icy water. "Shit!" He reeled backward, landing on the solid ground. Quickly, he rubbed his wet skin, getting the feeling back into his fingers.

As soon as he was sure they were warm enough, he reached down. Being more careful about where he knelt, he wrapped his arm around Reno's waist and pulled the unconscious man upward, hissing as water drained off of his clothes. Reno was soaked from the waist down. He finally drug the redhead's body up onto the bank and managed to pick him up. The water was adding an extra twenty pounds or so and he was having a hard time keeping his balance, but he made it back to the car.

The vehicle itself totaled, the front end completely smashed in by the tree that had saved Rude from joining his partner in the river. The back, however, was still in reasonably good shape and Rude carefully placed the half-frozen Turk on the backseat, shivering at the chill surrounding the younger man. He had to do something or Reno would freeze right there.

A sudden beeping sounded and Rude stared at the source, his cell phone laying only yards away in the snow. "That's it!" he shouted as he ran to the flashing device. Flipping it open, he almost cried as he heard Rufus' familiar voice on the other end.

"_Rude? Is that you? I tried contacting you at—"_

"Mr. President! Please! I need your help!" He yelled into the speaker, shivering as he returned to the back of the car. Reno had moved his hand and seemed to be trying to regain consciousness. But that was hoping for the best.

"_Rude? What do you mean? Help how?"_

"I need help as soon as possible. I got into a crash and Reno was with me. He fell into a half frozen river and now…I don't know. He doesn't look like he's going to make it. Please. You've got to send help fast." Reaching out to touch the pale Turk's cheek, he brushed away the ice gathering on his cherry-red hair.

"_All right. Where are you? I'll send Tseng and Elena over. They were on their way to Kalm but turned back after the snow started."_

"Kalm?" But that's where they'd been going. Tseng and Elena should be going right past them. But then again, they had slid quite a ways into the forest. They might not be visible. "Okay. Just please, tell them to get here as soon as possible. We were headed that was also, but the bridge was out. We had to take a detour through the forest. I don't know if they saw it or not." He fell silent and glanced at Reno anxiously.

"_Don't worry; I'll get them right over there as soon as they can. Just keep him warm and don't leave him. No matter what."_ The phone clicked and Rude snapped it shut, dropping it on the floor. Keep him warm? With what? He suddenly remembered the blanket he kept in the trunk for things like this, emergencies. Exactly what this was. Reaching over the front seat, he grasped the keys and checked the redhead once again before running to the trunk.

He slipped once, banging his chin on the bumper, but raised himself up and popped open the trunk. Dragging the blanket out from under a few other items, he started to close the trunk when the idea struck him. The light. Maybe if he left the trunk open along with the headlights, someone would see them.

Wrapping the blanket around Reno proved quite a challenge since the Turk was essentially dead weight at the moment. But he was able to finally and breathed a sigh of relief when Reno opened his green eyes. "Hey, how you feeling?" he asked softly, tucking the last free end of the blanket under Reno.

The redhead groaned. "Like shit. What happened, yo?" He winced as an invisible pain shot through his lower body. "Why am I so cold?" His voice was faint, weak.

Glancing through the rear windshield, he watched the road momentarily before turning back to his partner. "We crashed. You...ah, you fell in the river. Tseng and Elena are on their way now, so just hang in there, okay?" He patted the other man's shoulder carefully, not wanting to injure him any further. It was hard to tell what kind of internal wounds he had suffered along with the visible ones. A large gash ran across Reno's cheek and another dripped down his jaw line past his neck, staining the white shirt he'd put on just hours earlier bright crimson.

Reaching over, Rude wiped away the half-dried blood. "Thanks. It felta little strangewith that running down my face." Reno laughed softly, coughing suddenly. Rising up, he doubled over and began coughing harshly. He freed one hand and feebly wiped his mouth, smiling weakly at Rude. "Guess it could be worst, huh?"

Rude looked away. He had heard the shaky sound imbedded deep within Reno's voice. "Yeah." The word was more of a comfort to Reno than anything. "Look, I'm sorry I got you into this."

"What?" Reno opened his green eyes and stared at his partner. "What's that supposed to mean?" He tried to look the other man in the eye, but Rude turned away. The redhead was thoroughly confused. Never had he seen his partner act this way, not in all the years he'd know him.

The bald man leaned over, placing his forehead against the driver's seat. "I mean if I hadn't been mad at you and all that shit then I might not have crashed. We might still be driving down to Kalm if I hadn't been so fucking _stupid_ as to stop looking at the road. I didn't see that patch of ice and that's when I lost it." Shaking his head, Rude closed his eyes.

"What? You think this is your fault?" Reno laughed and patted the other man on his shoulder. "You're kidding right? Sure, I feel a little crappy, but I'm gonna be fine. It's thanks to you that I am." He sneezed once and wrapped the blanket tighter around himself. "Damn, can it get any colder?"

Reno glanced back at the trembling man. What had Rufus said? Keep him warm? But how? The blanket wasn't doing the job and it was only getting colder by the minute. He rubbed his own arm absently, trying to force some warmth into it. Suddenly he stopped. _That's it! But…I won't like it and he probably won't either, but it's the only hope. Otherwise we both might freeze by the time Tseng makes it._

Shaking his head once, he wrapped the redhead in his arms, much to the surprise of the younger man. "R—Rude. What're you doing, yo?" Reno glanced around the car as if something might give him an answer. Instead, Rude just held Reno tighter and remained silent. "Rude…"

"Shut up already," Rude growled. "You've got to save your energy, okay? And if this is the only way to keep you from freezing, I'll do it. I'm not going to let you just die out here, got that?" Shivering as Reno's chilled skin touched his, he reached down and drew the blanket around them both. _This is going to be a long night,_ he thought quietly. _Hopefully Tseng gets here soon with some help._

Already partially drained of his strength, Reno allowed Rude to lay him down so they were both curled on the backseat. Finally the tiniest bit of warmth began to pervade Reno's skin and he shivered involuntarily, welcoming the sensation. Any other time this would have been overly awkward, but now he was just glad that Rude was there. Slowly, his eyes closed and he fell into a restless sleep inside the other man's arms.

Rude watched the stars shimmering above him as he felt Reno fall into his light slumber. _Maybe he will be all right. I hope so. _He glanced down at Reno's sleeping face, smiling ever so slightly before he turned his eyes back to the sky above.

"Huh, what?" Rude jolted awake, alarmed that he didn't know where he was. Then the realization came back to him as his eyes adjusted to the dark. _That's right. I'm in the car with Reno_. He looked down, glad to see he was still breathing evenly. _Guess I drifted off_. A sigh escaped him, the warm air flowing over Reno's face.

Groaning, Reno opened his emerald eyes, gazing blankly at Rude. "Hmm…we home yet?" The cold had seeped into his throat and the words were sluggish, drawn out. He curled closer to Rude, closer to the only heat anywhere near him.

"No. Sorry I woke you up." Carefully Rude moved ever so slightly, repositioning himself on the seat.

"Too bad. I was kinda hoping we would be."

Rude smiled sadly. "Yeah, I was too." _Dammit, where are Tseng and Elena? They should have been here by now._ He yawned and glanced at the still-working clock. Seven o'clock. _Must be evening,_ he though sourly. The man in his arms moved slowly and he looked down into the distressed face. "What?"

Reno shook his head and laid it back on the cushion. "I just want to thank you. For all this."

Shocked, the Turk stared at his partner. "What's that all about? You'll have plenty of time to do this when we're both safe and out of this mess." He leaned back just the tiniest to get a better view of Reno's face. "Reno?"

The redhead smiled weakly and turned his green eyes on Rude. "I just thought I should say that in case I don't make it out of here. Just so I didn't miss the chance, you know?" He sighed once and lowered his head to the seat again, resting it on Rude's arm instead of the cushion.

"What?" The bald Turk was stunned. "You actually think you won't survive this? Come on, Reno. I've seen you live through tougher scrapes than this. You'll be fine!" He almost shook the other man before remembering the possible injuries. "Don't you dare start talking like that or I'll personally kick your ass once you're better." A glare was sent at the other man. "Got that?"

A soft laugh escaped Reno and he shook his head. "Either way, I suppose there are a few things I should say. This whole ordeal, whatever the hell it is, has made me think, you know? I mean, about some of the things that I never thought about saying, yo." He sighed again and glanced away.

Rude looked down at the redhead, confusion spreading on his face. Some things he should say? But they were partners, always sharing anything. That's what the phrase meant, that they could trust each other. Was there something that Reno hadn't trusted him with until now? "Reno, what is it?"

Reno turned back toward his partner, his green eyes gleaming. Slowly, he raised his head as if to speak, but didn't. Rude's eyes went wide with shock as Reno's arm snaked around his neck, cold lips pressed against his own in a kiss. Reno let go, staring into Rude's eyes. "Now do you understand?"

Still in shock, Rude could only watch the redhead as he laid back down, turning his head away from him. _What—what did that mean? What just happened? Did he just really…kiss me?_ He opened his mouth to speak, but stopped, unsure of what to say. Was it possible that Reno had other feelings for his partner aside from friendship? Unable to find the right words, Rude simply laid back down beside of Reno, resting his head next to the other man's. Finally, he grasped something and glanced at the pale man. "Why didn't you say anything sooner?"

Reno laughed, smiling sadly. "Because I knew it would never work out. There was just no reason to tell you or anyone. So I just kept it hidden." Allowing Rude to hold him closer, he sighed. "But, I thought that I should tell you before anything happened, you know?"

"Dammit Reno, nothing's going to happen. We're going to get you out of here and make sure you're fine. So stop with all this 'my final words' shit, okay?" He hugged his partner, half for the heat and half just to comfort the redhead.

"But how do you know? How do you know that it'll all be fine? How do you know that the next time you see me, I won't be able to see you back?" He closed his eyes, shaking his head. "Never mind." He drifted into silence, leaving Rude to ponder the words he'd just been faced with.

-------------------

Rude sighed heavily as he placed the bouquet on top of the newly dug earth. Shaking his head, he turned away, his eyes falling on Elena and Tseng. The black-haired man nodded at him as he held Elena closer. They had all taken the death hard. Rude faced the headstone once more, watching as Elena added a bundle of roses to the gathering adornments.

Slowly, his eyes wandered from her to the words engraved upon the stone: 'A beloved fighter and friend, rest in lasting peace. You will be missed.' He smiled sadly and nodded in agreement with the epitaph. The words rang true, especially now. He continued reading, following the looping script of the name: Maia Hagios. He glanced back to Elena as she rose from her sister's grave.

Turning away for the last time, he headed back towards the entrance of the graveyard where his car sat idling. A man was leaning against the passenger side door and he looked up as Rude approached, his green eyes gleaming. "You should have stayed longer." Rude placed a hand on the other man's shoulder, tilting his head back toward the graveyard. "I know you worked with her a few times."

"Yeah, I did, but I didn't want to intrude. Know what I mean, yo?" Reno smiled warmly and made a saluting motion toward the grave Rude had just left. "I'll miss ya, girl. You always were a fun one to practice against." Nodding his farewell, he turned his green eyes back to Rude. "So. Ready?" His voice was steady as he opened the door to the passenger side. Getting his answer in the form of a smile, he slid in, slamming the door shut.

Rude dropped into the driver's seat, scratching his neck momentarily. "It's going to be weird without those two around. Elena said she was taking a year-long break after all the paperwork and things were settled. What do you think about that?" After waiting a few seconds, he pushed his sunglasses onto his face and sighed.

"I think it'll all work out, yo. After all, she's got Tseng with her now. He'll keep her going." Reno shifted his gaze over to Rude's face as the car settled into gear. "That's what partner's do. They look out for each other."

Rude smiled, his eyes shining under the sunglasses. "Yeah. That's what they do." He reached over and grasped the other man's hand, squeezing gently. He almost laughed as a thought rolled into his mind. Who knew that when they had signed those papers stating them 'partners for life' that it could have had a whole different meaning? All they had to do was look a little deeper than the surface. "That's what they do."

---------------------------

Wow. It's like it never ends. But it did. And I'm really sorry to all of those who hate me for making it look like Reno had died. It just turned out that way. But a small side note, the girl who did die? Maia Hagios? Yeah. I've been checking up on some stuff for the FFVII compilations and was reading about Before Crisis. It features Elena's sister, a girl who joined the Turks before Elena. They weren't on very good terms, but hey. You're gonna be sad if your only sister dies. I'm not sure what happens to her in the game, but it just seemed a good link to form the image of Reno passing away and it affecting the Turks without it actually being him. She doesn't have an actual name as far as I can tell. The name Maia I just picked really quick because it kind of fits with Elena and both are of Greek origins. Hence the surname also: hagios for 'pure'. But anyway, my first attempt at a RenoxRude pairing. Hope it went well.

Please review! I'd like to see how I did. :)


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